The President today announced his intent to
appoint fifteen members and to designate a chair to serve on the Advisory
Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders was established by Executive Order 13125 to advise the
President on the development, monitoring, and coordination of Federal efforts
to improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The
Commission will study ways to increase public sector, private sector, and
community involvement in improving the health and well being of Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders and to increase their participation in Federal programs
where they may be under served. The Commission will study ways to foster
research and data collection on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,
including information on public health.

The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, of Edgewater,
Maryland, who will chair the Commission, is a former Member of the United
States House of Representatives and has a long and distinguished record of
public service. Currently, he serves as Vice President of Special Business
Initiatives at Lockheed Martin. First elected to Congress in 1974 to represent
Silicon Valley, Mr. Mineta became the first Asian American to chair the
important U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Public Works and
Transportation. While serving in Congress, he founded and chaired the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and was the driving force behind
the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which provided an official
apology and redress to over 100,000 Japanese Americans interned in camps during
World War II. Prior to his election to Congress, Mr. Mineta spent seven years
in local government serving on the City Council and as Mayor of San Jose,
California.

Ms. Haunani Apoliona, of Honolulu, Hawaii, is
currently serving her fourth year as a Trustee of the Office of Hawaiian
Affairs of the State of Hawaii; a semi-autonomous agency dedicated to improving
the quality of life for Native Hawaiians. In addition, she also serves as Chair
of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders Subcommittee of the U.S.
Department of Commerce Census Advisory Committee on Asian and Pacific Islander
Populations. Ms. Apoliona has held positions in numerous community-based
organizations including President and Chief Operating Officer of ALU LIKE, a
non-profit service organization whose mission is to assist Native Hawaiians in
their efforts to achieve social and economic self-sufficiency. Ms. Apoliona
received a B.A. degree from the University of Hawaii, and a M.S.W. degree from
the University of Hawaii.

Ms. Gloria Caoile, of Springfield, Virginia, is
Special Assistant to the President of the American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees, a 1.3 million-member labor union. In this capacity,
Ms. Caoile is considered the highest-ranking Asian Pacific American in the
American labor movement. She is currently the First Vice President of the
National Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and formerly served as President
of the Metropolitan Washington chapter. Ms. Caoile is a founding member of the
Asian Pacific American Womens Leadership Institute and a board member of
the Filipino American Civil Rights Advocates. She is the National Vice Chair of
the National Federation of the Filipino American Associations. In addition, she
has served in leadership capacities of the APA Heritage Council and the
Association of Philippine American Women.

Ms. Martha Choe, of Seattle, Washington, is the
Director of the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development of the
State of Washington. Prior to her appointment, she served as a member of the
Seattle City Council, having been elected in 1991 and, again, in 1995.
Previously, Ms. Choe was Vice President of the Bank of California in commercial
lending, credit administration, and private banking. She serves as a trustee of
Western Washington University and has been recognized for her accomplishments
by Newsweek magazine, the Seattle Chinese Post, the Japanese American Citizens
League, the Korean American Professional Society, and the Korean American
Alliance. Ms. Choe received a B.A. degree from the University of Washington and
a M.B.A. degree from Seattle University.

Ms. Susan Soon-Keum Cox, of Eugene, Oregon, is a
nationally recognized expert in the fields of international adoption and child
welfare. Currently, Ms. Cox is the Vice President of Public Policy and External
Affairs for Holt International Child Services. She has advised the First Lady
on public policy regarding adoption and foster care and has participated in
White House briefings on these issues. Ms. Cox serves on the North American
Council on Adoptable Children and was designated by the Korean Ministry of
Health and Welfare as the U.S. Spokesperson for Korean adoption during the 1988
Olympic Games.

Mr. Vinod Dham, of Fremont, California, is the
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Spice, Inc., a
communications technology development firm in Silicon Valley. Previously, he
was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of NexGen, Inc.
where he executed the launch of the worlds fastest PC microprocessor. Mr.
Dham earned a reputation as a technology trailblazer during his
time at Intel Corporation where he headed the team responsible for the creation
of the Pentium chip processor. He has also developed a non-profit
virtual community for Bay area seniors and was named to A
Magazines list of 100 Most Influential Asian Americans for the Past
Decade. Mr. Dham received a B.S.E.E. from the University of Delhi, and a
M.S.E.E. from the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Wilfred P. Leon Guerrero, of Asan, Guam, is
the President and owner of W. P. Leon Guerrero & Associates, a consulting
firm based in Guam. Dr. Guerrero is also a prominent advocate of education,
having served as President of the University of Guam, in addition to being the
Founding Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Dean of the Land
Grant Program, and Associate Dean of the College of Education. With his
extensive knowledge as a working professional in the Asia/Pacific Region, he
has authored numerous articles emphasizing agriculture and education issues.
Dr. Guerrero is currently the Chairman of the University of Guam Endowment
Foundation Board. He is also an active member in Guams community, having
served among others, as the President of the Hagatna Archdiocesan Pastoral
Council and President of the Young Mens League of Guam, a community
assistance organization. Dr. Guerrero received a B.A. degree from the
University of Guam, a M.A. degree from the University of Northern Colorado, and
an ED.D. degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

Ms. Tessie Guillermo, of San Francisco,
California, serves as the Executive Director of the Asian and Pacific Islander
American Health Forum, a national health policy and advocacy organization based
in San Francisco. Ms. Guillermo has served as a member of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services Minority Womens Panel of Experts, and on the
boards of the Community Technology Foundation of California, the California
Pan-Ethnic Health Network, and the Intercultural Cancer Council. Ms. Guillermo
is a published author on health policy issues and was recognized by the
American Journal of Health Promotion for her distinguished work on behalf of
the health needs of underserved ethnic communities. Ms. Guillermo attended the
University of California, Berkeley and California State University, Hayward,
and graduated from the Gallup Leadership Institute.

Mr. Dennis Hayashi, of Sacramento, California,
currently serves as the Director of the State of California Department of Fair
Employment and Housing, the first Asian American appointed to this post.
Previously, he led the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services and held the position of Counsel to the Deputy Secretary.
During his tenure in Washington, D.C., Mr. Hayashi served on President
Clintons working group on affirmative action and the White House
interagency group on immigration policy. He has been an advocate for civil
rights and equality for AAPIs as an attorney with the Asian Law Caucus, Inc.,
as the National Director for the Japanese American Citizens League, and serves
on the boards of the San Francisco Legal Assistance Foundation, and the
Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans. Mr. Hayashi received a B.A. degree in
philosophy from Occidental College, and a J.D. degree from Hastings
College.

Dr. David D. Ho, of Chappaqua, New York, is a
distinguished AIDS researcher who serves as Director and Chief Executive
Officer of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. He has served on numerous
councils and boards, advising the Scientific Advisory Board of the National
Cancer Institute and the Office of AIDS Research at the National Institutes of
Health. Dr. Ho has taught at Harvard Medical School, UCLA School of Medicine
and the NYU School of Medicine. He is currently a professor at The Rockefeller
University. Dr. Ho was named TIME magazines 1996 Man of the Year for his
groundbreaking work in HIV research. Dr. Ho Received a B.S. degree from
California Institute of Technology and a M.D. degree from Harvard Medical
School.

Ms. Ngoan Le, of Chicago, Illinois, currently
serves as the Deputy Commissioner of Human Services for the City of Chicago.
Formerly, she served in the Illinois Department of Human Services as Assistant
to the Secretary for Special Projects. She has served as a Special Assistant
for Asian American Affairs to Governor James R. Thompson and as Executive
Director of the Vietnamese Association of Illinois, a non-profit agency
providing services in business and community development, employment services,
and womens services. Ms. Le serves on numerous boards such as the
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium and the Leadership Education
for Asian Pacifics, Inc. and has been recognized by the National Association
for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese
Americans. Ms. Le attended Saigon University and received a B.A. degree from
Illinois State University.

Mr. Jonathon R. Leong, of Piedmont, California,
is a businessman and President of JLA Companies. Mr. Leong is the founder of
the Asian Business Association and a past board member of the Council of Asian
American Business Associations. He also served as an elected delegate to the
White House Conference on Small Business in 1986 as well as in 1995. In
addition, Mr. Leong has been an active leader in the AAPI community, where he
has served on various boards and committees including the National Marrow Donor
Program, The Institute for the New California, Chinese Performing Arts
Foundation, and Oakland Chinatown/Center District Community Development
Council. Mr. Leong is currently the President of the Asian American Donor
Program. He recently initiated an AAPI-based umbilical cord blood bank. Mr.
Leong received a B.A. degree from San Francisco State University.

Mr. Mukesh  Mike Patel, of Atlanta,
Georgia, is a leader in the hospitality industry. He is a founding member of
the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and served as its Chairman
from 1997-1999. In 1981, he co-founded the Diplomat Hotel Company and currently
serves as President. AAHOA represents the almost 15,000 hotel properties owned
by Asian Americans, comprising about forty percent of the hotels in the United
States. Mr. Patel is also a Trustee of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, and a
board member of the Georgia State Universitys Cecil B. Day School of
Hospitality. Mr. Patel is a graduate of the London School of Business.

Ms. Jacinta Folasa Titialii, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, has been involved in the health care industry for fifteen years
and is currently Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Tenet
Healthcare Corporation, the second largest investor-owned health care
management company in the United States. She has been very active in the Samoan
and Pacific Island communities in the continental U.S., Hawaii, and in American
Samoa. Ms. Titialii has also served as Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission and
Director of Employment Opportunity Centers, Inc., a non-profit organization
aiding AAPIs with employment opportunities. Ms. Titialii received a B.A. degree
from the University of Washington and a J.D. degree from the University of
Washington School of Law.

Mr. Lee Pao Xiong, of St. Paul, Minnesota, is
the Director of Government and Community Relations for Concordia University in
St. Paul. He presently serves as a member of the Metropolitan Council, a
regional planning agency for the Seven Counties Metropolitan Area. Previously,
he was the Executive Director of the Minnesota Council on Asian-Pacific
Minnesotans, where he advised the Governor, the State Legislature and other
government agencies on AAPI issues. He has also been the Executive Director of
the Hmong American

Partnership and the Hmong Youth Association of
Minnesota. Mr. Xiong was the Legislative Clerk for State Senator Joe Bertram,
Jr. and also worked for United States Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). Mr. Xiong
received a B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota, and a M.A. degree from
Hamline University.